Ketscher catches big check

Jordan Ketscher finishes off a tie-down roping run during Sunday’s final round of the CINCH Timed Event Championship. Ketscher became the 14th cowboy in the 34-year history of the contest to win the title. (JAMES PHIFER PHOTO)

California cowboy claims prestigious CINCH Timed Event Championship

GUTHRIE, Okla. – Jordan Ketscher is the 14th man in the 34-year history of the CINCH Timed Event Championship to claim the prestigious title.

With it, he became the first Californian in five years to win the “Ironman of ProRodeo.”

“I’ve always watched this event, and just to be here and be part of the greats – Trevor (Brazile), Cash (Myers) and Kyle (Lockett) – is a dream come true,” said Ketscher, 28, of Squaw Valley, Calif.

He roped, wrestled and tied 25 animals in a cumulative time of 324.3 seconds to win the title, finishing 19.1 seconds faster than the runner-up, Clayton Hass of Stephenville, Texas; the three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier in steer wrestling had his best run at the Timed Event after many years competing at the Lazy E Arena the opening weekend of March.

Jordan Ketscher earned $100,000 and other prizes for his title (JAMES PHIFER PHOTO)

“This meant a lot, because I didn’t get to come here last year because of a conflict with a Champions Challenge event,” Hass said, referring to a PRCA event in which he was contractually obligated to compete. “I got a chance to come back and prove that I’m supposed to be here.

“This is a bit of redemption I’ve placed here a few times, and to stay solid through all 25 head means a lot.”

Ketscher entered Sunday’s fifth and final round as the No. 1 man, but he had just a 7.1-second lead on Myers, who moved to third after the first discipline of the day, heading. Brazile, the Timed Event’s only seven-time winner, posted a 6.7-second run to move into the runner-up position.

Myers then fell all the way to sixth after suffering a 60-second penalty in tie-down roping when his calf got up from the tie before the required 6 seconds – a 60 is equivalent to a no-time at a traditional rodeo. An event later, Brazile joined him after losing his dally in heeling.

The standings shuffle continued through the final performance of the five-round affair. When the competition ended, the top two men took the biggest prizes.

“It always helps to have $25,000,” Hass said, referring to his substantial second-place earnings. “The winter has been pretty good, but it could always be better. Now I’m just trying to move on throughout the year and make the NFR.”

So, what brought the Texan the most pride in his performance over the weekend?

“The fact that I used my head, and I feel like I stayed focused,” he said. “Even when I had hiccups, I didn’t back off. I just roped my game.”

Ketscher has never been to the NFR, but he performed at an optimum level through the three days of competition, where cowboys battle the mental and physical challenges that come with the “Ironman.”

“This is just so awesome,” he said of the event. “Everybody specializes in different events, so you’ve got to come here and do something you’re not comfortable with. It’s just a marathon.”

He held the lead through much of the three-day championship and showed just why consistency is important in this game. And on the final day, when the thoughts of that big check came into his mind, he had to push them away and focus on the task at hand.

“I was trying not to overthink things, and I was just wanting to make every run like I had done the four previous rounds,” Ketscher said. “I wanted to trust myself and trust my horses to make it happen.”

He will return a year from now as the reigning champion.

“I’m going to go home and work on a few things,” he said. “It’s going to be just as tough next year. There’s no need to slack off.

“Things happen here, and that’s what the Timed Event is all about. Anytime, as a cowboy, that you get a chance at $100,000, you have to love the opportunity.”

Myers did pick up a nice prize. His horse, Diesel, was named the AQHA CINCH Timed Event Championship Top Horse.